I purchased a gmc 3500 srw duramax and a lance 915 both new this year. After several trips, last one covering almost 5000 miles, I have decided that I could have chosen a drw and did'nt because I did not think I needed a truck that large. I would like to trade the 915 for a larger camper with at least one slide but cannot because the truck will not carry the load safely. And I should have done more research and homework instead of focusing more on bottom line (keeping total cost under 50k).
We are planning on going to Alaska next year and although this set up will suffice, I regret not looking more closely at other units.
Hope others reading this will benefit from my mistakes and really look over all the options.
One thing seems pretty common with RV's, Boats and Planes. We all start with something small and keep buying bigger, and then we start going smaller again.
It's just the thrill of the hunt and part of our life cycle.
Your truck and 915 are a great setup . . . don't regret it . . . just know the next time around it will be getting bigger.
'08 Ford F550, Lariat, Link Air Suspension, Roll-A-Long Conversion, Twin Turbo 6.4, TorkLifts, SuperHitch, "Monster Duty Truckasaurus"
'05 Lance to-the-Max (Sold)1181.
'09 Host Everest
One thing seems pretty common with RV's, Boats and Planes. We all start with something small and keep buying bigger, and then we start going smaller again.
It's just the thrill of the hunt and part of our life cycle.
Your truck and 915 are a great setup . . . don't regret it . . . just know the next time around it will be getting bigger.
LOL. I am heading back down the smaller side. The dealers sure take us for a ride.
Ribaco, I had a Lance 920 and thought it was too big for my SRW so I bought a DRW. Once I had the DRW I thought it was so much more truck that it really ought to carry a BIG camper. So I got a Lance 1161. I loved the room but missed the nimbleness of the 920. I am now back to a 915 (on the DRW). Next stop is a Class A diesel pusher.
Tom
Goodyear/Happy Jack, AZ
2004 DRW Dodge Cummins
2006 Cougar 281EFS
2007 Lance 1055
Look at it this way...if you could have read your own "future mind" you'd have bought the bigger camper AND the bigger truck. It's a pretty difficult thing to purchase ANYTHING for the future without knowing the future. Good luck / Skip
You could go smaller and still get more room with a slideout. I had a 9 1/2 ft (no slides) for 11 years, went shopping for a bigger camper last year, bought a 8 1/2 ft w/ one slide and a whole lot more room.
97 GMC2500 long bed EXT CAB 6.5 4X4
2005 Host 8.6 Bachelor SS TC
97 BRYANT BOAT
Sorry to hear you feel this way. I know a lot of times people think it's overkill to get a dually but I can honestly say, I don't regret one minute of it.
Maybe you could start with trading in the truck then next year trading up the tc. What you have will do, obviously since you bought it but you'll never be truely happy till you have exactly what you want.
I have to admit that I am getting spoiled in my old age. My first camper was an 8 footer no a/c or bath and drove it with wife and 6 year old all the way to San Francisco. Came back thru death valley and all this in July of 84.
The truck did not even have a/c, guess I was a lot tougher then LOL. The one thing that has stayed the same is that the people I met over twenty years ago while camping and the ones that I have met this year have been 99% good friendly people. That other 1% (one couple that did'nt see me) rode past our camper on their bikes and called our rig a "wannabe RV". Funny but a little snobby I think, they were staying in a class A.
I agree, good advice; however, we all live and learn. You still have a very nice rig, and I'm sure it won't detract from your enjoyment of that Alaska trip. We drove the highway once (four of us)in a 9.5 foot camper (no air, no hot water, no BR), and we loved it. I hope to do it again (and at a more leisurely pace) in our current rig. here's wishing you the happiest of camping adventures.
GreatWhite
2004 Dodge Ram 3500 Quadcab Dually
2004 Alpenlite Santa Fe 1150
We have a 915.
Sometimes I would like something bigger but NO one makes one as "Large" as Lances 915!!!!
I'm 79 inches tall my 915 has 82 inches of headroom. Name any other new camper with as much. I can even stand up strait in the shower name another camper with 6'7" headroom in the shower.
Our 915 has twin beds which can be slid together to form a king sized bed No other new camper has that large a cabover bed.
When the inside of our camper gets too small we just go outside.
In the past slide outs have been problematic but some day they might be perfected. Glad our 915 doesn't have one.
So all in all we have been pleased with the 915. Many people think other campers are larger, they are just not larger in every way.
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